The Equalizer 3 marks the finale of this American vigilante action thriller. When everything is done and dusted, does this third entry of this series give a satisfying end that fans have been waiting for?

Synopsis

A quick refresher to those who might not remember the premise, The Equalizer follows retired government assassin Robert McCall played by Denzel Washington, who struggles to reconcile the horrific things that he’s done in the past. He now finds a strange solace in serving justice on behalf of the oppressed.

Now living in Southern Italy, McCall soon discovers that his new friends are under the control of the local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do, by becoming the protector by taking on the mafia head on.

Closing The Chapter

For me, the plot for The Equalizer 3 is a very straight forward action story without any twist, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Just like its previous entries, we all got to see Robert McCall beat up the bad guys in brutal ways.

In this final installment, Robert or now Roberto stays at Southern Italy (Altomonte) after finishing a secret mission in Sicily, Italy. His peaceful days are short lived when the Mafia comes in and tries to hurt the people he cares for. One thing leads to another, Robert begins his mission of vengeance to bring down the mafia.

In all honesty, the storyline for Equalizer 3 is neither strong nor weak, it’s pretty mediocre for me. The way Robert brings down the Mafia felt pretty underwhelming to me considering how it only took him mere minutes to wipe them out.

The characters shown in the movie such as Emma Collins played by Dakota Fanning, who is a CIA agent that investigate another case involving drugs, which is connected to the Mafias. However, she’s literally out of commission after a bombing incident.

Robert also has his own connections with the people in the small town, but not all of them are developed well. They’re mainly just introduced for Robert to have his own “found family”, but I did enjoy how they’re supportive towards each other and how they have each other’s back when one of them is in danger.

Those who have watched the first two Equalizer might familiar on how Denzel Washington brings Robert to life. High speed attacked combo with precision shots, totally a perfect encapsulation of a cold-blooded assassin. The way he lurks in the dark, preying on his victims, is just really satisfying to look at.

With Italy being the main set piece of the film, you can expect beautiful scenery of ALtomonte with all the historical buildings and grandiose churches perched on top of a hill, it really sells me on wanting to travel to that side of Italy of the usual big city.

Verdict

The Equalizer 3 might not be the grand finale that fans would want, but it does serve as a nice farewell for the retired assassin. While the action scenes were well choreographed and enjoyable, the final confrontation with the Big Bad did not meet up to my expectations.

Despite that, if you’ve been a fan of the previous films and want to know how Robert is doing now, or if you’re looking action packed film, it still serves as an entertaining watch.